FEATURED ARTICLES ABOUT DIRECTORY ASSISTANCE - PAGE 2

TALLAHASSEE -- Dialing directory assistance is turning into dialing for dollars for the state`s largest long-distance carrier. AT&T Communications can boost directory assistance rates in Florida by a nickel to 40 cents, the Florida Public Service Commission ruled on Tuesday. The increase may earn the company an additional $830,000 a year, analysts said. AT&T sought the rate increase, the first since November 1989, to keep pace with competition in the long-distance trade, company officials said.

Say good-bye to the last great telephone bargain. Come July 1, Florida`s few remaining 10-cent pay phones will be history, the Public Service Commission has agreed. Directory assistance requests for in-state and local numbers also will cost 25 cents, the commission said. Although few people seem aware of it, there are still a few 10-cent pay phones in South Florida, in public hospitals, nursing homes, schools and low- income housing projects. "I just took it for granted it was quarters," said Sy Astern of Fort Lauderdale after putting two 25-cent pieces in a pay phone at Broward General Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale on Thursday.

With everything else being deregulated, the free-market pay phone was just a matter of time. So say good-bye to the 25 cent phone call, maybe. An enterprising entrepreneur might undercut the competition with a 25 cent deal, but BellSouth began raising its prices to 35 cents on Saturday, and plans to start charging 50 cents for directory assistance at the first year. Sure, directory assistance is an expensive service often used by people ho are too lazy to pick up a phone book. Trouble is, the Public Service Commission has found that 13 percent of the pay phones operated by major companies like BellSouth lack phone books, and the figure is 50 percent for smaller companies.

Several Web sites now offer free long-distance directory assistance, but Marsha Glatt of Tamarac notices they aren't created equal in terms of delivering the correct phone numbers. Glatt began wondering about reliability when she typed in her name at a couple of free sites I previously mentioned. PeopleSearch (www.peoplesearch.net) listed an incorrect city for her. And Switchboard.com didn't list her at all -- not even her old address from two years ago. So, which free Web site is the best bet when you need to find a long-distance phone number quickly?

Phone numbers for the Broward County Courthouse, Jail and Detention Center will change on Nov. 6. While the last four digits will remain the same, the prefixes will change from 357 to 831. The changes are needed because Broward is running out of numbers in its telephone network. The original 357 prefix will continue to be used for county administrative offices, while the new 831 prefix will be used for judicial and public safety offices. The changes will be publicized through signs, recorded messages and directory assistance.

Readers Richard and Nancy Holden pass along a cheap way to check messages on your home answering machine while you're away or to make a long-distance call, period. Costco sells a 480-minute Sprint prepaid calling card for $19.99. That makes the cost of a call only 4.16 cents a minute. Sam's Club sells an AT&T card offering the same per-minute rate. Both can be renewed, as needed, at the same rate. Consumer Reports in February called these two prepaid calling cards "the best we found." There are "no connection fees," the magazine noted, "although some other AT&T prepaid phone cards charge up to 50 cents per minute."

A raft of start-up companies has begun offering free directory assistance over the phone. But callers won't get their numbers right away: They have to listen to an advertisement before hearing their desired listing. The new companies, which operate under national brands such as 1-800-FREE411 and 1-800-411-METRO, are inspired by the business model of a technology giant: Google Inc. And just like Google, which sells Web advertisements tailored to specific online search results, the phone companies' audio ads are narrowly targeted.

Accutel Communications, facing the threat of a $1.7 million fine and the revocation of its license in Florida, said it intends to appear at a hearing with regulators today and fight state allegations that the company put unauthorized phone charges on 171 people's bills, an illegal practice called cramming. "We do not slam or cram customers," said Donna Kim, president of the Pompano Beach-based long-distance company. "We have a real strict policy as regards to that." Staff of the Florida Public Service Commission has recommended that commissioners start a more formal investigation that could lead to the fine and license revocation.

Q. Many of the employees of our company travel every week for business. One of the expenses incurred by the employees involve the use of a rental car. When an employee rents a car, they use their personal credit card and the company reimburses the employees for the car rental costs. Most of the employees elect to purchase the liability insurance coverage that the rental company offers. Since the cost of the insurance is very high, the company has asked the employees not to take out the insurance since they should be covered by their credit card or auto insurance policy.